CSOs call for ban on sea mining

REGIONAL civil society organisations have called on Pacific leaders to ban deep-sea mining.

This was initiated at the recent launch of the Pacific Blue Line initiative at the Radisson Blu Resort on Denarau Island.

Pacific Network on Globalisation media officer Joey Tau said the launch was instigated with the theme Deep-sea Mining: Not Needed; Not Wanted; Not Consented with hopes of sending a strong message to Pacific leaders in taking a strong stand against extractions and mining activities.

“This launch is important in the sense that Pacific communities, people, community workers and even academia and scientists mobilise themselves to have a clear position on

the issue of deep-sea mining,” Mr Tau said.

“For civil society organisations, we can learn a lot from Papua New Guinea’s experience where it’s sold to us for economic benefit in the region but it’s totally something new and something they planning to test within our waters.

“So we are pushing Pacific countries to take a back step because of all the explorations happening here, so we are basically pleading to the countries to go into this new venture so this launch is pretty much mobilising Pacific states to take a position, possibly a ban or a moratorium trying to have those precautionary principles before our countries make a decision.”

In recognising the UN Decade of Ocean Science, Mr Tau noted the recent Blue Line launch was their statement to the world that deep-sea mining should not happen here.

He added there was still a lot to be done on advocacy in terms of extractions and deep-sea mining at the grassroots level.

He added regional CSOs would mobilise more endorsements which they hoped to present at the Pacific Island Leaders Forum in August.